May 13

When the Sox visit the Rangers for the weekend, Texas sends out Dane Dunning to pitch the opener opposite Pivetta. The Sox put a runner on second with one out in the top of the first as they look to score right away but come up empty. A runner is at second with two out in the top of the third after a wild pitch, and Devers opens the scoring with a single to left to score Hernández and make it 1-0 Boston. Hernández comes up big in the bottom of the inning when he makes a sliding catch in right-center to record the first out and deny sure extra bases. He records all of the outs in the inning, since all three batters fly out to center.

This is a pitching duel. Through the first five innings, each team only has two hits. The Sox put runners at first and second with one out in the top of the sixth for Verdugo, who doubles to right to score Martinez and make it 2-0. Bogaerts scores on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 and Verdugo scores to make it 4-0 on a double to the right-field corner by Cordero. Dane Dunning is relieved immediately to try to stop the bleeding now that the game has started to get away from the Rangers. Cordero steals third almost immediately, and then he scores on Vázquez’s single into right as the Sox essentially put tonight away at 5-0. The Sox send eight men to the plate in the inning. This team has needed an inning like that for a long time. A runner is at third with two out in the bottom of the sixth after a stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Vázquez, but a long battle between batter and pitcher culminates in a strikeout and keeps the Rangers off the board. A runner is at first with one out in the top of the seventh when Martinez hits a ground-rule double to left to put two men in scoring position for Bogaerts, who singles to left to score Martinez and Devers and make it 7-0. Bogaerts is tagged out trying for second on the throw home. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Calhoun triples to the gap in right-center before scoring on a wild pitch, and the Rangers are finally on the board at 7-1. The Sox put two on with two out in the top of the ninth. A strikeout ends the inning, but the Sox pick up a confidence-instilling (at least for me) 7-1 rout of Texas.